Which African capital is the most populous?

The most populous African capital is Cairo, Egypt. Its enormous urban region makes it the continent’s leading population centre and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.

Cairo stands on the Nile River, just south of the river’s delta. The modern city was founded in 969 CE by the Fatimid dynasty, which called it al-Qāhirah, meaning “the victorious.” Although Cairo itself is medieval, the surrounding urban landscape includes places with far older histories, including ancient Memphis, Heliopolis and the Giza pyramid complex.

Population rankings can vary depending on whether a source counts the city proper, the continuous urban area or Greater Cairo. That is why Kinshasa and Lagos sometimes appear near the top of African city rankings. In standard trivia usage, however, Cairo is the accepted answer because its metropolitan area is substantially larger than those rival capital regions. Cairo is also Egypt’s political, cultural and economic centre and the headquarters of the Arab League.